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To see: the centre
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To see: the centre of Paris
Place des Vosges
Metro: Chemin Vert
This square was established in 1610. Many famous people, such as Molière, Condé and Richelieu, lived here. Before the French Revolution it was called Place Royale. After the revolution, the name was changed to Place des Vosges, as the Vosges were the first to pay their taxes to the new government. Victor Hugo came to live here after the Revolution. His former residence is now a museum.
Place de la République
Metro: République
This square was established in 1856. It is a symbol of the French Republic, which is represented by a statue in the centre of the square. The French Republic stands for liberté, égalité et fraternité, which translates as liberty, equality and fraternity. At the top of the statue we see freedom holding a torch in her hand. Together at the bottom we see equality holding a flag and fraternity sitting on a plough.
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Père-Lachaise Cemetery
Metro: Père-Lachaise - entrance: Blvd. de Menilmontant
During the French Revolution, this domain was taken from the Jesuits. They had given it the name Père-Lachaise, after the Jesuit who had made this domain so beautiful. His name was Père de la Chaise and he acted as father confessor to Louis XIV, the Sun King. In 1803, the place was promoted as a cemetery to the upper class, but in May 1871 it became the final bulwark of the Communards. All participating insurgents were killed by government troops. The cemetery Mur des Fédérés or Communards' Wall remembers this occasion. However, most people come to the cemetery for a different reason. Many famous people were buried here. The cemetery is so big that we advise you to buy a map at the entrance. It provides an alphabetical list of the cemetery's famous dead and monuments. Don't forget to visit the Monument aux Morts with its underground charnel house.
Place de la Bastille
Metro: Bastille
The Bastille used to be a fort at the edge of what was then Paris. It was built in 1370 and served as a prison for the government's opponents, such as Voltaire. The fort was hated by the people and was regarded as a symbol of the regime's intolerance. On 14th July 1789, this is where the French Revolution began. The fort was taken. Much later it was completely torn down. In the middle of the square we see a pillar, the Colonne de Juillet, which was erected in 1840 to honour the victims of 'Les Trois Glorieuses', the three glorious days of the July revolution: 27th, 28th and 29th July 1830. 500 victims who perished during those three days are buried at the bottom of this 52 metre tall pillar. The new Opéra de la Bastille is a striking feature of the square. It opened in 1989, exactly 200 years after the French Revolution. It turned out to be a very expensive building and was subjected to much criticism. It is one of the most modern edifices for sound and vision. It can accommodate 2700 people.
Institut du Monde Arabe
Metro: Jussieu
The Institut du Monde Arabe or Arab World Institute is a beautiful building. It was designed by French architect Jean Nouvel and was the result of the cooperation of a great number of Arab countries. It aims to introduce the public to the Middle East. The building's facade has 240 active sun control diaphragms. If there is little light, they automatically open and if there is a lot of sunshine, they almost entirely close.
Pantheon
Metro: Luxembourg
The Panthéon is a building for great men of the nation without religious ties. In other words, it is a public cemetery for the important figures of the French Republic who are not religious. Only one woman is buried here: Sophie Berthelot. Other famous names are Voltaire, J.J.Rousseau, Emile Zola and many others. The last burial took place in 1964 when resistance hero Jean Moulin was put to rest. Louis XV commissioned the building. He vowed to build the edifice if he were to recover from a grave illness. It was going to be a church, but the French Revolution decided otherwise. In 1791 it became a mausoleum for the deceased heroes of the Revolution.
Quartier Latin
Metro: Luxembourg
Boulevard St.-Michel is the centre of the Quartier Latin. It has been a student area since the year 700. The Sorbonne is the oldest university in Europe. Its courses were originally taught in Latin. In 1257 the Sorbonne was established as an independent college for priests without any means who wanted to study theology. Its reputation as a university was increasingly established, but its independence was withdrawn during the French Revolution. It is now part of the University of Paris. With the exception of the chapel, all old buildings were torn down. The current buildings were erected at the end of the 19th century.
Musée de Cluny
Metro: Cluny - La Sorbonne
The full name of this museum is the Musée National du Moyen Age et des Thermes de Cluny. The museum is based at the Hôtel de Cluny, a beautiful building from the Middle Ages. You will find one of the most important French retrospectives with regard to objects from that era.
Jardin et Palais du Luxembourg
Metro: Luxembourg
Both the palace and the gardens are now owned by the French Senate. The palace was commissioned by Maria de Médici, who did not want to live at the Louvre. It has been the seat of the Senate since 1852. The garden is in the Quartier Latin and is frequented by many students.
St.-Germain des Prés
Metro: St.-Germain des Prés
Odd really: they wanted to build a church for the relics of St.-Vincent, but the church ended up being called St.-Germain after a Paris bishop. In the 6th century the bishop was the church's major promoter. Because he put so much effort into it, his name was given to the church. The last part of the church's name, 'des Prés' was necessary to avoid confusion with other churches in Paris of the same name. The abbey that had been built around the church was demolished by Norsemen in the 10th century. In 1020, the new church was completed in Romanesque style. During the French Revolution, a saltpetre installation was built inside the church and a large section of the abbey was destroyed again. After restoration all that remained was the church.
Catacombs
Metro: Denfert Rocherau
The catacombs were consecrated in 1786 to store all bones excavated from closed burial grounds. The catacombs were established in the quarries in the south of the city. The quarries had been depleted and were reinforced to be used as mass graves. Quarry holes of up to 30 metres deep were filled with bones. The total surface area of the catacombs is about 10,000 m2. The corridors of the catacombs are about 20 metres below the streets and houses.
Tour Montparnasse
Metro: Montparnasse
The Tour Montparnasse is 210 metre tall office skyscraper. At the time of construction, it was the highest building in Europe. More than 7000 employees work in the building. It has 60 floors. The lift takes you from the ground floor up to the 56th floor in 38 seconds. The 56th floor was completely renovated in 2005. It offers the most beautiful panoramic view of Paris in a modern and playful setting. Many audiovisual and interactive installations help you discover and understand Paris: picture galleries, interactive pillars, a quiz, a video clip about Paris, multimedia animation about the history and symbolism of skyscrapers in the world, etc. A few steps higher, the panoramic outdoor terrace offers an incredible and sensational 360° view! Far below you can see the city bubbling with activity. This is where you enjoy the most beautiful panoramic view of the French capital both by day and by night! Every time of day has its own charm, but when the lights of the city start to sparkle at sunset, you get to see a unique spectacle. The Tour Montparnasse is the ideal place to take some of those unforgettable holiday snaps or to take a break. You can have a coffee at the Belvédère, the highest café in Paris. The building consumes as much energy as a city of 30,000 people. It has more than 7,200 windows, weighs 120,000 tons and rests on piles dug 70 metres into the ground to ensure its stability.
La Grande Arche de la Défense
Metro: La Grande Arche de la Défense
La Grande Arche is part of the La Défense building complex. The site was established in 1919. After the First World War, the Arc de Triomphe with its Tomb of the Unknown Soldier became a valued monument. The city council found that the historical axis of the Louvre, the Place de la Concorde and the Arc de Triomphe came to an end too abruptly.
In 1926, a first design competition was held to come up with ideas for this empty area. One of the participating architects was the famous Corbusier. However, the competition was never completed. In 1931 another competition was held, with the specification that the construction was not to exceed the Arc de Triomphe in height. In 1958 the Public Establishment for the Installation of La Défense (EPAD) was established for the development of the area. Even then, the idea was to build an arch that would be visible from the centre. When President Pompidou came into office, the project received the final go-ahead. In 1972, the GAN tower was erected: it is 170 metres tall and was built right next to the place where the arch was to be built. From then on the entire project was tarnished by an atmosphere of scandal. The light at the end of the tunnel came in 1981 when a design competition was launched to finally build the arch.
In 1983 Danish professor and architect Otto von Spreckelsen won the competition. At the time he had only designed his own house and four churches. The construction was very troublesome. The team of architects following up the construction refused to carry out von Spreckelsen's wishes. Eventually he resigned in 1986 and died one year later. He never got to see the finished building.
La Grande Arche weighs 300,000 tons, is 106 metres tall and 110 metres wide and cost 450 million euros. The building aims to represent a symbolic window to the world. You can reach the roof in four glass lifts between the two ends of the building. The entire building rests on only 12 pillars. The walls are made of anodised aluminium, which was fixed to concrete. The inside roof was not designed by the Danish architect. It is called 'Les Nuages' or 'The Clouds' and it acts as a counterweight to the abstract form of La Grande Arche. The Arche is sometimes referred to as 'la touche finale' as it completes the straight line from the monuments between the Arche de Triomphe and the Louvre. The name La Défense comes from a bronze statue that used to stand here and has now been moved to the right of the circular road around La Défense. La Défense and its circular road are located on a plateau. The traffic goes underneath the plateau, where we find car parks, the underground, bus stations, etc.
Cité des Sciences - Parc la Vilette
Metro: Porte de la Vilette
The Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie is located near the Boulevard Périphérique and is only just located within the city centre. It is a great scientific park that allows the public to see the newest developments in technology. The Cité des Sciences is suitable for young and old. A visit will take at least half a day. There are exhibitions for all age groups. The main attraction is probably La Géode, a large spherical theatre where audiences can witness experiments with images and sounds.
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Picture: © Photographer: Stephen Gibson | Agency: Dreamstime.com
Text: GVDV - © AT-Europe bvba
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